Toghtekin or Tughtekin (Modern tr, Tuğtekin; Arabicised epithet: ''Zahir ad-Din Tughtikin''; died February 12, 1128), also spelled Tughtegin, was a
Turkic military leader, who was
''atabeg'' of Damascus from 1104 to 1128. He was the founder of the
Burid dynasty of
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
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Biography
Toghtekin was a junior officer to
Tutush I,
Seljuq emir of Damascus and Syria. After the former's death in 1095, civil war erupted, and Toghtekin supported Tutush's son
Duqaq Dukak or Duqaq may refer to:
* Tuqaq (died c. 924 AD), the father of Seljuq, eponymous founder of the Seljuk dynasty
* Duqaq (Seljuk ruler of Damascus)
Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk Duqaq (died June 8, 1104) was the Seljuq ruler of Damascus from 1095 ...
as
emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
of the city against
Ridwan, the
emir of Aleppo. In the chaotic years which ensued Toghtekin was sent to reconquer the town of
Jebleh, which had rebelled against the ''qadi'' of
Tripoli, but he was unable to accomplish his task.
On October 21, 1097, a Crusader army began the
siege of Antioch
The siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098, on the crusaders' way to Jerusalem through Syria. Two sieges took place in succession. The first siege, by the crusaders against the city held by the Seljuk Empire, ...
. The local emir,
Yaghi-Siyan, though nominally under Ridwan's suzerainty, appealed to Duqaq to send an armed force to their rescue. Duqaq sent Toghtekin, but on December 31, 1097, he was defeated by
Bohemund of Taranto and
Robert II of Flanders, and was forced to retreat. Another relief attempt was made by a joint force under
Kerbogha, the
atabeg of Mosul, and Toghtekin, which was also crushed by the Crusaders on June 28, 1098.
When the Crusaders moved southwards from the newly conquered Antioch, the ''qadi'' of Jebleh sold his town to Duqaq, who installed Toghtekin's son,
Taj al-Muluk Buri as its ruler. His tyrannical rule, however, led to his quick downfall. In 1103, Toghtekin was sent by Duqaq to take possession of
Homs
ar, حمصي, Himsi
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at the request of its inhabitants, after the emir
Janah al-Dawla had been murdered by
Assassins
An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder.
Assassin may also refer to:
Origin of term
* Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins
Animals and insects
* Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviid ...
by order of Ridwan.
The following year Duqaq died and Toghtekin, now acting as regent and ''de facto'' ruler, had the former's junior son
Tutush II proclaimed emir, while he married Duqaq's widow and reserved for himself the title of atabeg. After deposing Tutush II he had the brother of Duqaq,
Irtash
Irtash; ar, إرتاش), also romanised as ''Artash'', Irtāsh, and ''Ertash'', though al-Athir uses ''Bektash'' ( tr, Bektaş; ar, باقتش). He had two known honorific titles, ''Muhyi al-Din'' (Reviver of Religion), and ''Mujir ad-Din'' ...
, named emir, but soon afterward he had him exiled. Irtash, with the support of Aytekin al-Halabi, the emir of
Bosra, tried to reconquer Damascus, but was pushed back by Toghtekin and forced to find help at the court of King
Baldwin I of Jerusalem.
Around 1106, Toghtekin intervened to momentarily raise the
siege of Tripoli by the Crusaders, but could not prevent the definitive capture of the city. In May 1108 he was able to defeat a small Christian force under
Gervaise of Bazoches,
lord of Galilee. Gervaise was proposed to be freed in exchange for his possession, but he refused and was executed. In April 1110, Toghtekin besieged and captured
Baalbek
Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...
and named his son Buri as governor, replacing
al-Taj Gümüshtegin.
Late in November 1111, the town of
Tyre, which was
besieged by Baldwin's troops, put itself under Toghtekin's protection. Toghtekin, supported by
Fatimid forces, intervened, forcing the Franks to raise the siege on April 10, 1112; however, he refused to take part in the anti-Crusade effort launched by
Mawdud
Mawdud ibn Altuntash ( ar, شرف الدولة المودود) (also spelled Maudud or Sharaf al-Dawla Mawdûd) (died October 2, 1113) was a Turkic military leader who was atabeg of Mosul from 1109 to 1113. He organized several expeditions to reco ...
of Mosul, fearing that the latter could take advantage of it to gain rule over the whole of Syria.
Nonetheless, the next year the two Muslim commanders allied in reply to the ravages of Baldwin I and
Tancred of Antioch. Their army besieged
Tiberias
Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
, but they were unable to conquer it despite a sound victory at the
Battle of Al-Sannabra in 1113 and they were forced to retreat to Damascus when Christian reinforcements arrived and supplies began to run out.
During his sojourn in the city, Mawdud was killed by the
Assassins
An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder.
Assassin may also refer to:
Origin of term
* Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins
Animals and insects
* Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviid ...
on October 2, 1113. The inhabitants accused Toghtekin of the deed. In 1114, he signed an alliance against the Franks with the new
emir of Aleppo,
Alp Arslān al-Akhras, but the latter was murdered a short time later by his atabeg
Luʾluʾ al-Yaya.
In 1115, Toghtekin decided to ally himself with the
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establish ...
against the Seljuk general
Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi
Qasīm al-Dawla Sayf al-Dīn Abū Saʿīd Āqsunqur al-Bursuqī (), also known as Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi, Aqsonqor il-Bursuqi, Aksunkur al-Bursuki, Aksungur or al-Borsoki, was the atabeg of Mosul from 1113–1114 and again from 1124–1126.
Access ...
, who had been sent by the Seljuk sultan
Muhammad I Tapar
Abu Shuja Ghiyath al-Dunya wa'l-Din Muhammad ibn Malik-Shah ( fa, , Abū Shujāʿ Ghiyāth al-Dunyā wa ’l-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Malik-Šāh; 1082 – 1118), better known as Muhammad I Tapar (), was the sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1105 to 111 ...
to fight the Crusaders. The following year, judging the Franks too powerful, he visited Baghdad to obtain a pardon from the sultan, though never forgetting to remain independent himself between the two main forces.
Allied with
Ilghazi
Najm ad-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq (died November 8, 1122) was the Turkmen Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122. He was born into the Oghuz tribe of Döğer.
Biography
His father Artuk Bey was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had bee ...
,
emir of Aleppo, he attacked
Athareb in the
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It exte ...
, but was defeated at the
Battle of Hab
The Battle of Hab ( ar, معركة هاب), also known as the Second Battle of Tell Danith, occurred on August 14, 1119, where a Crusader army commanded by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem won a disputed victory over a Muslim army led by Ilghazi of ...
on August 14, 1119. In the June of the following year he sent help to Ilghazi, who was again under peril of annihilation in the same place. In 1122 the Fatimids, no longer able to defend Tyre, sold it to Toghtekin, who installed a garrison there, but the garrison was unable to prevent its capture by the Frankss on July 7, 1124.
In 1125, al-Bursuqi, now in control of Aleppo, appeared in the Antiochean territory with a large army which Toghtekin joined; however, the two were defeated at the
Battle of Azaz on June 11, 1125. The following January Toghtekin also had to repel an invasion by
Baldwin II of Jerusalem
Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq or Bourg (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied his cousins Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to th ...
. In late 1126 he again invaded the Principality of Antioch with Bursuqi, but again with no results.
Toghtekin died in 1128. He was succeeded by his son Buri.
In the Old French Crusade cycle
''chansons de geste'', Toghtekin is known as "Dodequin".
See also
*
Bahram al-Da'i
Sources
*
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{{Authority control
11th-century births
1128 deaths
Atabegs
Muslims of the Crusades
11th-century Turkic people
Turkic rulers
Rulers of Damascus
Medieval rulers
Burid rulers
Government officials of the Seljuk Empire
Nizari Ismaili–Seljuk relations
People of the Nizari–Seljuk wars